Six years old girl abandoned by grandfather in a bath house in China

A six-year-old girl who was left at a Chinese bath house by her grandfather as a deposit after he claimed he forgot his wallet is still living there a month on as he failed to collect her.

The girl, called Siyao, turned up at the facility in the city of Kunming in south western China’s Yunnan province after her grandfather announced he wanted a good wash in a warm bath and a relaxing massage afterwards. But when he came to pay, staff say he suddenly announced that he had forgotten his money and would need to go home to collect it.

Bath manager Mee Wang, 40, explained: ‘He told the reception that would leave his granddaughter Siyao, behind as proof that he intended to return, and then left.’

But by the end of the day staff found that the grandfather had still not returned, and they were left looking after the girl who has now been living there for more than a month. Siyao has now made good friends with the staff at the bath house, who have arranged a comfortable bed for her to sleep in overnight.

However, he has failed to turn up meaning the girl still remains in the care of the staff, even though social services have been urged to intervene. Bath houses are popular in Chinese cities and are used by residents who don’t have central heating or running water at home. At the centres people can take a bath, get clean, relax and enjoy a foot or body massage.